


Knock First Next Time

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-09-30
Updated: 1999-09-30
Packaged: 2018-11-20 11:21:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11334690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Post-Two Fathers/One Son drivel. The "Three Musketeers" are reunited.





	Knock First Next Time

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Knock First Next Time by m. butterfly

Knock First Next Time (1/1)  
by m. butterfly  
  
Rating: R for m/m affection, language  
Category: M/Sk  
Spoilers: Two Fathers, One Son, SR 819, X-Files: Fight the Future  
Archive: Anywhere--just leave my name on it  
Summary: Post-Two Fathers/One Son drivel. The "Three Musketeers" are reunited.  
Author's note: I just wanted to prove (mostly to myself) that I could actually write something *without* gratuitous sex scenes for a change. Many thanks to Lucy for *extraordinary* beta-reading, and Sue and Susan for constant encouragement and support. Feedback appreciated (and always answered) at . Lines introduced and ended with a double slash // are internal and not spoken out loud by the characters.  
Disclaimers: The characters Walter Skinner, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Jeffrey Spender, Diana Fowley, Alvin Kersh and Kim Whatever belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting. This is a work of fiction intended only for private enjoyment. I'm not making a single dime.

* * *

Knock First Next Time  
by m. butterfly

FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
Thursday, 12:02 pm

It was all too strange.

FBI Agent Jeffrey Spender had vanished without a trace, and his partner, Diana Fowley, wasn't exactly making herself readily available these days, either.

Fox Mulder stood with his hands on his hips outside the basement office. *His* old office. His frustration grew as he glared at Spender and Fowley's fancy-ass name plates. He'd wandered down here on a whim, to see if Spender had really made good on his promise to pack up and get the hell out. But the door was locked, and no one had answered his knocks or calls.

Mulder patted his jacket pocket and smiled wickedly. His lock-picking set was hardly standard issue, but it *had* served him well during his years with the Bureau. Well, with the X-Files, anyway. Breaking into this office had gotten him into a shitload of trouble recently, so doing it again probably wasn't the wisest idea. But he had to do *something*. All this damned waiting around was driving him crazy...

He nearly wet himself when his cell phone chirped.

"Shit!" He dug it out of his breast pocket and flipped it open. "Mulder."

"This is AD Skinner."

Mulder's breath caught in his throat, just as it did every time Walter called him out of the blue--especially at work. Especially today. "Yes, Sir? Any news?"

"Yes, actually. I thought you might like to know that I've just spoken with the Director, and he told me that the OPR has handed down its decision."

The agent closed his eyes. The Office of Professional Review--of which Skinner was no longer a chartered member, thanks to him--had spent the last two days determining the career paths of Mulder and his partner, Dana Scully.

"And?" He fought to keep the impatience out of his voice.

"As of oh-nine-hundred hours tomorrow," Skinner continued casually, "you and Agent Scully will be reassigned to the X-Files and report directly to me."

Mulder leaned against the cold, pock-marked wall and stared at the stained ceiling. No more boring stakeouts. No more days wasted transcribing endless hours of idiotic wiretaps. No more interviews with farmers about what they planned to do with their manure, livestock or other assets.

"Oh, my God, Wal--Sir," he corrected quickly. "That's wonderful news! Thank you, Sir!"

"Congratulations, Agent Mulder. It will be--*interesting*--to work with you again."

"I'm looking forward to it, Sir."

"I would have had my P.A. notify you," Skinner said smoothly, "but she's already gone to lunch.

//And I haven't told her yet.//

Please pass the word on to Agent Scully."

//Oh, you're good, Walter!//

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

*******

Walter Skinner's mouth curved with satisfaction as he put down the phone and shut the file folder on his desk.

Apart from time spent in bed, Mulder hadn't sounded so cheerful in weeks. No, not cheerful. More like joyous. Relieved. Hopeful. Having the X-Files ripped away from him last fall had been devastating, working under AD Kersh an added misery.

Christ, it was a wonder that Mulder hadn't suffered a serious meltdown by now. In the last year alone, his office had been torched, his partner abducted and nearly killed, his career derailed. He'd almost drowned, been roughed up, shot in the head, and institutionalized. (The guilt over *that* one still gnawed away at Skinner's gut.) And, just shy of his 38 birthday, his sexuality had come into question when he fell in love with his immediate superior--a man who desperately wanted to build a future with him, but whose own future was tentative at best.

Ever since the AD was mysteriously infected with a potentially lethal technological contagion early in the new year, Mulder had held up remarkably well--when he wasn't being observed, at least. The younger man's nightmares were worse than ever, and far more frequent. He often woke in the wee hours, sobbing uncontrollably and calling out Skinner's name, then denied remembering the dream when confronted. This was usually followed by a bout of insomnia.

Skinner knew what a difficult time Mulder was having, and how strong he was being for *his* sake. The irony of it was, Skinner's condition was draining the life out of *Mulder*. He missed the imp who teased him mercilessly, and pulled one outrageous prank after another. He was being far too solicitous, congenial, repentant. The only time he was able to slip back into himself, more or less, was during sex.

As a result, Skinner was expending a great deal of energy trying to keep Mulder in a perpetual state of carnal bliss.

Sighing heavily, he glanced at his watch.

Any time now...

*******

Kim had just stepped outside when it began to rain. The restaurant where she was supposed to meet her friends for lunch wasn't far, but without an umbrella, she'd be soaked by the time she got there. She re-entered the Hoover building and headed back upstairs.

As she got off the elevator, she saw something that brought on an instant anxiety attack: Agent Mulder striding purposefully toward her boss' office. He and his partner were supposed to be on administrative leave. So what was he doing here? And he was wearing the weirdest expression on his face. He looked kind of *feverish*. Sneaky. Up to something.

//Oh, dear!//

Kim would never forget the time that Mulder went berserk and physically attacked Skinner. Of course, he was no match for the bigger man, and someone had slipped him some pretty potent hallucinogens, so it wasn't really his fault, but you just never knew with Fox Mulder...

She swore under her breath. AD Skinner had been through a lot lately, including a mysterious illness that had kept him out of the office for an unprecedented three weeks. He'd just spent the last two days with the OPR, and most of the morning with the Director. He'd been a little blue since his return to work, but calmer and less prickly than she could recall. The last thing she needed was for Spooky Mulder to barge into the boss' office, as he was wont to do whether Kim was there as sentinel or not. She suspected that Mulder's impromptu visits sent Skinner's blood pressure soaring. She's lost track of the number of times he'd complained of a headache following unscheduled meetings with the agent.

She was going to call out to Mulder to stop, but what good would that do? He frequently demonstrated selective hearing. Instead, she charged after him, looking for possible reinforcements along the way. Unfortunately, the floor was deserted. And there was no time to call security.

Up ahead and around the corner from the office, she heard Skinner's door being opened and slammed shut.

//The little shit! He didn't even have the courtesy to knock!//

Kim started to run, hoping to rescue Skinner from possible disaster. But what she saw when she burst into his office turned her to granite.

There was her boss--ex-Marine Walter Skinner, Assistant Director with the FBI, a one-time married man--in a *very* passionate clinch with Fox Mulder.

In the instant before she was discovered gawking, Kim observed how difficult it was to tell whose dark-coloured pant legs were whose. How Skinner's big hands were lost in Mulder's hair. How the two men were practically devouring each other's faces.

If Fox Mulder was assaulting her boss, Walter Skinner was the most co-operative victim Kim had even seen.

She gasped involuntarily, startling the two men. "Excuse me," she muttered, stepping backward and closing the door on her way out.

Skinner pulled away from Mulder but didn't completely let go. "Fuck!" he mouthed silently and headed for the door, his lover in tow.

//Ow!//

Skinner's iron fingers bit into Mulder's upper arm as the older man bolted after his secretary.

As Skinner and Mulder burst forth from the office, Kim started rummaging through her desk drawers for--something. She'd forgotten what she'd came back up here for in the first place. Oh, yes. The umbrella.

"Hold on, Kim. I'll ride down with you." Skinner's calm, steady voice belied the panic his face couldn't entirely hide.

Mulder just gaped at him, opening and closing his still-moist mouth, fish-like, making no sound.

"Of course, Sir," said Kim. Hell, what else could she do? On the wacko-metre, this was right up there with that case about the Texas vampire town.

Luckily for Mulder, Skinner let go of his arm and steered him by the elbow toward the elevator as they followed Kim.

The three stood woodenly, in uncomfortable silence, waiting for the down car to arrive. When it finally did, Skinner prayed that it would be empty. It was, thank God. He released his breath and herded Mulder and Kim through the doors before punching the button for the lobby. Then, to their mutual surprise, he pressed the stop button just as they began their descent.

"Kim," he said when the elevator had jerked to a halt, "I know you've got a lunch appointment, but I'd *really* like to speak with you for a moment, if I may."

She sighed, unable to meet his dark, anxious eyes. "Yes, Sir." She tapped the umbrella against her thigh.

Mulder's expression was bordering on frantic. "What? *Here*?"

Skinner turned to the younger man and gripped his shoulders firmly yet gently. His tone was startlingly--*soothing*. "It's okay, Fox. The elevators are about the only things in this building that *aren't* bugged." He tried to smile. "Nobody ever talks in an elevator, right?"

Kim watched in horrid fascination as Mulder clutched at her boss.

"I'm so sorry, Walter!" he lamented, either ignoring Kim or simply too distraught to notice her existence. "I've fucked up your career, I've put your life in danger, and now I've outed you. I--I--oh, shit!" Biting his lower lip, he hung his head in defeat.

Skinner slid his hands up from Mulder's shoulders until they cupped his face. He could feel Mulder's chin quivering against his palms as they raised the dark head slowly, gingerly. "Look at me, Fox. Please."

With obvious reluctance, the agent's long lashes fluttered open to reveal the sea that was threatening to swell in his haunted hazel eyes. Skinner's throat tightened painfully.

While Mulder blinked furiously, Skinner stroked his lover's flushed cheeks with his thumbs. "Would you please stop apologizing for everything that happens to me? This is *not* your fault. *I* invited you into my office, remember? I thought it would be safe. I had no idea--"

Kim cut him off. "Sir, Agent Mulder, please!" They looked at her simultaneously and, clearly embarrassed, released each other. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't tell a soul. Not even my husband. I promise."

But Skinner looked sceptical, terrified, *vulnerable*--something she thought she'd never live to see. Despite the shock she'd just received, her heart went out to him. She'd known for some time that the boss had finally found someone special, and being in love looked good on him. But with Fox Mulder? The thorn in his paw since Day One? Oh, the poor man!

"Mr. Skinner," she began, her voice calm and steady, her manner a study in compassion. "I've been your P.A. for a number of years now, and I've never given you reason to question my loyalty. I respect and admire you. I'd never do anything to hurt you professionally or personally. Your--*secret*--is safe with me."

Skinner unclenched his jaw. "Thank you, Kim. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

He noticed that Mulder was now regarding the dazed-looking woman with more than a slight degree of suspicion. Skinner squeezed his arm. "I'm sure that Agent Mulder appreciates your discretion, too. Isn't that right, Fox?"

"I know it's very difficult for you," Kim said to Mulder when he stubbornly refused to budge, "but you *can* trust me."

Another squeeze. Harder this time. "Ow! Uh, sure. Thanks."

The men's faces had gone from bright red to ashen over the last few minutes. Kim was heartened to see their colour was starting to return to normal.

"If that's all then, Sir...?"

"Just one more thing."

Both Kim and Mulder raised their eyebrows.

"I want to apologize for my, uh, unprofessional behaviour earlier. This morning, the OPR agreed to put Agents Mulder and Scully back on the X-Files, and I--" His cheeks were turning a lovely shade of pink again. "Well, I shouldn't have congratulated Agent Mulder quite so *enthusiastically* in my office. It was extremely poor judgment on my part, and I promise it won't happen again."

"That's all right, Sir. It's just that I never dreamed--" She looked from one man to the other. "Well, you know."

"Tell me about it." Skinner hit the start button, then the one for the second floor. "I won't keep you any longer. Thank you, Kim. Enjoy your lunch. And take all the time you need."

"Thank you, Sir." As the elevator stopped to let Skinner and Mulder off on Two, Kim lightly touched Mulder's arm. "And Agent Mulder--please don't worry. Really."

He regarded her with unusual intensity until Skinner nudged him. "Coming, Fox?" he asked quietly.

"Uh, yeah."

As the doors closed, Kim caught her boss' eye and gave him a small smile, which, she was pleased to note, he returned.

She leaned against the back wall of the car and shook her head. AD Skinner and Fox Mulder? A couple? Stranger things had happened. No, actually, they hadn't. Not in *her* world, anyway.

As Kim walked through the chilly, rain-soaked streets of downtown Washington, she suddenly felt protective of her boss. He was a good man, and Agent Mulder--dear God, Skinner had called him *Fox*!--had to have *something* going for him besides his looks if the AD was willing to risk his career for him.

And now Mulder was under Skinner's direct supervision once more. She closed her umbrella and entered the restaurant, making a mental note to *never* charge into her boss' office unannounced again.

As the hostess escorted her to the table, Kim wondered how Assistant Director Skinner and Agent Mulder were spending *their* lunch hour.

But her friends just figured that her ear-to-ear grin meant she was happy to finally see them.

~~~~~~

Fini  
February 18, 1999


End file.
